| Summary: | This report investigates the implementation of the Further Education and Training (FET)
College Act of 2006 whether it achieved the founding purpose of promoting quality education
and expansion of equal opportunities for South Africa. The study followed a qualitative
comparative case study in which two campuses of one college were examined. Data was
collected through interviews, observation and documentary analysis. The study was based
on the views expressed by the college management, lecturers, and students who are the
role players in the Public Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges in South Africa.
Interviews were conducted to college management, lecturers and students of Centurion and
Odi Campuses of Tshwane South College with the intention of determining if the students at
this college were exposed to equal and quality opportunities for teaching and learning. Data
from documents such as students results, staff establishment, budget, were analysed with
the purpose of profiling the students and staff at Tshwane South College. Participant
observation of physical facilities and usage of these facilities was done with the aim to verify
the developments aimed at improving both campuses.
The fundamental principles shaping the FET College Act of 2006 are quality education and
equalisation of teaching and learning opportunities. The study shows that the implementation
of the FET College Act of 2006 has been to a lesser degree a success in so far as number of
factors is concerned. A case in point is that there is increasing evidence that the gap that
existed when it comes to job opportunities has diminished leaving more blacks, particularly
women in senior positions when it comes to management and administration of the FET
Colleges in South Africa.
Notwithstanding the elementary changes brought by the FET College Act, the fundamental
principle that is central to education and training being the quality education and equalisation
of learning and teaching opportunities is still a challenge 15 years later into the democratic
rule in South Africa. There is evidence of poor infrastructure, shortage of basic learning
materials and poor results due to poor quality of education and training. The overall findings
of this study suggest that the FET College Act of 2006 has significantly contributed to
delivery of inferior quality education and it has further widened a gap between the ‘have and
the have not’s’. The study therefore recommends the government to review the current
policy and it calls for students of public policy to persuade a study on the impact that the FET
College Act of 2006 had on the education of the ‘African child’.
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